Grocery-cabinet.



W. F. L T. H. PARLEY. GROGERY CABINET. v.ILPPLIUATION HLED 121313.26,1912.

Patented June 18, 1912.

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WITNESSES A coLuMRlA PLANonPADH co.,wAsH|NGToN, D. c.

WILLIAM F. FARLEY AND THOMAS I-I. FARLEY, 0F ELDORADO, OKLAHOMA.

GROCERY-CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 26, 1912.

Patented J une 18, 1912. Serial No. 679,912.

To all whom 'it may concern: l

Be it known that we, WILLIAM F. FARLEY and THOMAS H. Farmen citizens ofthe United States, residing at Eldorado, inthe county of Jackson andState of Oklahoma, have invented new and useful Improvements inGioceryabinets, of which the following is a specification.

Uur invention pertains to cabinets; and it has for its object to providean inexpensive and neat cabinet constructed with a view to keepingseparate and displaying produce of different kinds to advantage, andthis in` such manner that while the dii'erent kinds of produce cannot behandled by prospective purchasers, the same can be expeditiouslyandeasily removed from the cabinet when a sale is to be made.

The cabinet is designed more particularly for use in a grocery store,and to contain beans, peas, rice, hominy and like products; and itsnovelty and practical utility will be fully understood from thefollowing description and claims when the same are read in `connectionwith the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specication, inwhich:

Figure l is a perspective illustrating a cabinet constructed inaccordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged section takenthrough the transverse center of one of the bins or compartments of thecabinet.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section taken in the plane indicated by theline 3 3 of Fig. 2 and showing the means for controlling the dischargeof substance from each of the several compartments or binsof thecabinet.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all ofthe views of the drawings. The frame of our novel cabinet may be made ofwood, metal or other material consonant with the purpose of the cabinet,and comprises a bottom 1, end walls 2, a lower` longitudinal front bar3, an upper long1tu` ,dinal front bar 4, spaced a considerable disytance from the bar 3, a back wall 5, and

iianges extending inward from the bar 4, the end walls 2 and the backwall 5. On the bottom wall 1 is arranged the rear portion of a falsebottom 6, which has its forward portion supported on a longitudinalcleat 7 fixed to the inner side of the front bar 3. By virtue of thisarrangement, it will be manifest that the false bottom 6 is inclinedrearward and downward with a view to facilitating the passage of thebeans, peas, etc., `to the outlets hereinafter referred to.

In addition to the elements hereinbefore referred to, the frame of thecabinet comprises transverse partitionwalls 8, by which the cabinet isdivided into a plurality of bins or compartments, one of which is shownin Fig. 2. The said partitions 8 are preferably made of wood, metal orother opaque material, but we would here have it distinctly understoodthat the said partitions are not necessarily of opaque material. On theother hand they might obviously be formed of glass or other transparentmaterial, without involving departure from the scope of our claimedinvention. The partitions 8 are fixed in workmanlike manner to thebottom and back walls of the frame, as well as to the false bottom 6,and extending longitudinally above the said partitions and between theend walls 2 of the frame is an additional frame bar 9. This frame bar 9serves in combination with end cleats 10, one of which is shown in Fig.2, to support the top glass panel 11 ofthe cabinet, and this in ahorizontal plane below the top flanges of the upper front bar 4 and theback wall 5. In addition to the top glass panel 11, the cabinetcomprises a front glass panel 12, and consequently it will be manifestthat the goods in the several bins or compartments will be displayed toadvantage and can be conveniently and thoroughly inspected byprospective purchasers, and yet purchasers cannot handle and therebybring about deterioration of the goods.

Slidable forward in ways provided in the end walls 2 and from the flangeof the back wall 5 is a lid 18 through the medium of which the iillingopenings of the several bins or compartments are normally closed. Thesaid lid is preferably provided with hand holds 14, and when it is movedforward to its open position it rests on the glass panel 11 as shown inFig. 2, and when itis closed it brings up against the flange of the backwall 5. By opening the said lid 13 anyone or all of the bins orcompartments may be expeditiously and easily` filled to the extentdesired with thev goods to be held and displayed.

Formed in the rear portion of the bottom wall 1, one to each bin orcompartment, are outlet openings 15, which are preferably tapered orgradually reduced in diameter downward as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and

formed in the underside of the bottom wall land communicating with theopenings 15 are guideways of which there is one for each bin orcompartment. The side walls of the said guideways are undercut or doves.

tailed, as indicated by 16 in Fig. 3, and in the said guideways arevalve slides 17, of

which there is one to each bin or compart-Y provided with a dischargefunnel 19 in communication with said opening 18. Of course the openings1n the bin' bottoms and the valve slides may be varied 1n sizea'ccording to the character of goods to be disy played in the cabinet,and it will also be understood that when desired the openingscomplementary to some of the bins or compartments may be larger than theopenings of the others.

When it is desired to take beans, peas, rice or the like from acompartment and for delivery to a purchaser, the clerk standing at theback of the cabinet has but to hold the mouth of a bag about the spout19 of the particular compartment, and then using the said spout as ahandle to draw the valve slide rearward until its opening 18 is inregistration with the opening 15 in the bot* tom wall 1. lVlien this isdone, the substance in the bin or compartment will pass freely throughthe registered openings and the spout and into the bag, and then whenthe-'bag is filled to the extent desired, the

clerk by pressing forward on the spout 19 or by pressing forward withhis body on the rear end of the slide 17, can conveniently andeffectually close the opening 15 and prevent the further discharge ofsubstance from the bin or compartment. It will be further gathered fromthe foregoing that when the lid 13 and the several valve slides 17 ofour novel cabinet are closed, the goods contained in the several bins orcompartments will be protected from dust, dirt and the like.

We have entered into a detailed description of the construction andrelative arrangement of the parts comprised in the present and bestpractical embodiment of our invention of which we are cognizant, inorder to impart a full, clear and exact understanding of the saidembodiment. l/Ve `do not desire, however, to be understood Vas confiningourselves to the said specific construction and Vrelative arrangement ofparts, as manifestly such modifications may be made in the futurepractice of the invent-ion as do not involve departure from the scope ofour invention as claimed. For instance it is to be positively understoodthat the said discharge funnel 19 may be permanently attached to thebottom wall 1, or vice versa to the slide 17, preferably to the bot-tomwall 1.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure byLetters-Patent, is:

1. In a grocery cabinet, a bin comprising a back wall, and a bottom wallhaving an opening in its rear portion and a guideway formed in itsunderside and extending to its back edge, a front transparent panel, atop transparent panel having its rear edge spaced from the back wall ofthe frame and arranged in a horizontal plane slightly be low the upperedge of said back wall, a false bottom inclined downward and backwardfrom the front panel to a point adjacent the opening in the bottom wall,a closure lid slidable forward from the back wall and on the top panel,and a valve slide arranged in t-he said guideway of the bottom wall andhaving an opening adapted to be placed in and out of registration withthe opening in the bottom wall. l

2. In a grocery cabinet, a plurality of bins arranged in a unitarystructure and side by side and having a common bottom wall provided withopenings in its rear portion and also provided with guideways formed inits underside and extending to its back edge and also having a commonfront transparent panel and a common top transparent panel and a commonback wall; the rear edge of the top transparent panel being spaced fromsaid back wall, partitions between the bins, a false bottom inwitnesses.

VILLIAM4 F. FAR-LEY. THOMAS H. FARLEY. l/Vitnesses:

R. M. THonP, R. W. SUMMnRs.

`Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing'th'e "Commissioneriof Patents.

Washington, D. C.

